Pepperonata

This is a wonderful recipe for storing in the fridge for anytime you need a bit of a pick-me-up. I use it to stir into pasta, to slap onto bruschettas, to eat in cold or warm salads or as an accompaniment to chicken or grilled pork.

5 large peppers, take your pick from red, orange and yellow, a mix of all 3 looks best

2 medium onions

3 Italian tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chop your onions into half-moon shapes, your peppers in strips and your tomatoes any ol’ way you want as the will meeelt awat. Pour ¼ cup of your olive oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Start by adding your onions, stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until translucent. Then add your peppers, tomatoes and garlic, plus a good seasoning of salt and pepper, cover and cook for another 10 minutes. By then, your peppers should have softened, your tomatoes dissolved and there should be some lovely sweet juices at the bottom of the pan. Now add the balsamic vinegar, turn the heat up a notch and leave uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.

Your pepperonata is ready when the juices have thickened and your vegetables have caramelised slightly. Now stir this into some pasta with the remaining oil to serve 8, or pour into sterilised glass jars and top up with the olive oil, to keep in the fridge for up to a month.